The Osborne College of Audiology, Doctor of Audiology On-Campus Program, accepts applications through the Communication Science and Disorders Centralized Application Service (CSDCAS).
The processing of applications by CSDCAS (csdcas.liaisoncas.com) begins mid-July, one year prior to the year of desired enrollment. Applications must be submitted on or before July 1 of the year of desired enrollment.
- Student application reviews begin when an application is verified by CSDCAS.
- Interviews are scheduled and initiated, beginning in October.
- Candidates meeting the requirements are admitted on a weekly basis until class capacity is reached.
It is to an applicant’s advantage to apply as early as possible to ensure priority consideration for admission.
The Osborne College of Audiology actively seeks individuals from every state in the nation as well as worldwide who bring diverse life experiences and who desire to become audiologists.
To Be Considered For The Four-Year Track Or Three-Year Track, An Applicant Must:
Please note: Admissions requirements to the AuD On-Campus Program have changed for the Entering 2020 admissions cycle, to include changes to acceptable letters of recommendation and required hours of observation. Please review all listed requirements thoroughly. (updated: 6/24/19)
- Submit a properly completed application to the Communication Science and Disorders Centralized Application Service (CSDCAS). Detailed instructions regarding the completion of the application and the essay are provided on the CSDCAS website.
- Submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended (or currently attending) directly to CSDCAS.
- Complete admissions prerequisites at the college level with a grade of ‘C-’ or better and a minimum of 90 semester hours or 135 quarter hours of credit from an accredited undergraduate college or university. It is recommended that students with less than a 2.8 grade point average should consult the Office of Admissions prior to applying.
- Submit three letters of recommendation. Arrange to have forwarded directly to CSDCAS the following letters of recommendation:
- Two letters must be written by teaching faculty members who have taught you in a course.
- One letter must come from a practicing audiologist.
- A third letter from a teaching faculty member may be submitted in lieu of a letter from an audiologist.
- The references should be from persons familiar with the applicant's academic work, employment record, and/or personal characteristics.
- Achieve satisfactory score results from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
- Results may be submitted directly to CSDCAS (Designated Institution code is 7157).
- Completion of the GRE is required within three years of your desired entrance date to the Program.
- Observe a practicing audiologist for at least one day (minimum of 7.5 hours) in order to be familiar with the role of the audiologist as a member of the healthcare team.
- International Students, please review any additional requirements below.
- All credentials submitted on behalf of an applicant become a part of that applicant’s file with the University and cannot be returned.
Additional Admissions Requirements for the Three-Year Track:
- Recommended overall GPA of 3.5 or higher.
- Interview with two separate faculty members during the interview day.
Prerequisites
For both the Four-Year and Three-Year tracks, an applicant must have completed a minimum of 90 semester hours or 135 quarter hours of credit from an accredited undergraduate college or university.
These credits must include the listed prerequisite courses below completed with a 'C-' or better. An applicant need not have completed all prerequisites prior to filing an application but must be able to complete all outstanding prerequisites prior to enrolling.
- Basic Sciences (e.g., Biology, Chemistry, Physics) – 1/2 year
- Physics or Hearing Science – 1/2 year
- Mathematics or Statistics – 1/2 year (Calculus highly recommended)
- Social Sciences – 1/2 year
- English Composition or Literature – 1/2 year
Prerequisite credits completed ten or more years prior to the anticipated entrance date will be reviewed for approval on an individual basis.
Additional Courses (highly recommended, but not required)
- Hearing Science and Introduction to Audiology
- Anatomy, Physiology and/or Neurobiology
- Physics, Chemistry, and Biology
- Pre-calculus or Calculus (to include logarithms)
- Psychology and/or Counseling
International Students & Practitioners
International Transcripts
For applicants who have attended foreign and French-Canadian schools, please provide the Office of Admissions with the following information:
- A course-by-course credential review from an accredited agency (such as World Education Services), which evidences all post-secondary studies completed. Please consult the agency's website for requirements to complete the evaluation.
- An official evaluation may be sent from the agency directly to CSDCAS.
English Language Proficiency
Fluency in written and spoken English is essential for success in a Salus University academic program as well as to help ensure patient/client safety and/or effective communication with members of a healthcare team. Official results from the TOEFL (or IELTS) examination are required for all students for whom English is a second language (ESL).
Exceptions will be made for ESL applicants who hold degrees or diplomas from accredited post-secondary institutions in countries where English is the official language and in which English is the language of instruction (e.g. the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand).
The TOEFL (or IELTS) examination must be taken within two years prior to the start date of the entering class to which an applicant seeks admission.
- If submitting TOEFL scores, please use the CSDCAS code of C112.
- If submitting IELTS scores, please send scores directly to Salus University, Office of Admissions.
Admissions Selection Process
The Admissions Committee has established policies that include the selection of applicants best qualified to serve the public and the profession in the years to come. Many factors are considered in selecting students for our program, including:
- academic performance
- motivation
- extracurricular activities and interests
- related and unrelated work experience
- personal achievements
- essays
- letters of evaluation
- communication skills, including a demonstrated command of the English language, both written and oral
When evaluating academic performance, the applicant’s grade point average, performance in prerequisite courses, number of college credits completed, degree status and GRE (Graduate Record Exam) scores are taken into consideration.
Admissions Selection Process - On-Campus Audiology Program
Interview Process
Individuals successfully meeting the required admissions selection criteria may receive an invitation to visit our campus for an interview, which provides further insight into the applicant’s character and motivation, and allows an applicant the opportunity to meet with an Admissions staff member to discuss his or her application, tour our campus and meet with faculty and students. Applicants invited to interview for the Three-Year Track degree will be required to interview with two faculty members.
Notification of Acceptance and Matriculation Fee
An applicant may be notified of his or her acceptance as early as October, prior to the desired year of enrollment. Upon receipt of acceptance, an applicant is required to pay a $1,000 matriculation fee to the University prior to the start of classes, payable as follows:
- Return the matriculation form along with a $250 deposit within 14 days of the date of the acceptance letter.
- The balance of $750 for the matriculation fee is due April 15.
- All monies received above are non-refundable and will be applied toward first term fees.
Compliance Requirements
Students may be required to complete various compliance requirements (i.e. background checks or immunizations) in order to participate in clinical experiences and interact with patients at Salus-owned clinics. Please contact the Office of Student Affairs for the most up-to-date requirements for a specific program.
Technical Standards
The Technical Standards of Salus University Osborne College of Audiology reflect the essential qualities, abilities and functions that are required of students pursuing the Doctor of Audiology (AuD) degree. Ability to meet these Technical Standards is required of entering students and must be continually demonstrated with proficiency throughout the student's progress in the AuD degree program.
The following standards were adopted with the awareness that a balance must be achieved between competing interests:
- the rights of applicants and students;
- the safety of students, their co-workers, and patients;
- the significant clinical education component of the College’s curricula;
- the accreditation requirements for the College; and
- the conditions for licensure of our graduates.
The institution upholds a public health responsibility to ensure its graduates are fully competent, capable individuals prepared to provide benefit to the community in which they practice. Therefore, it is important that the individual student investing their time be fully knowledgeable of the qualities, abilities and functions deemed necessary to succeed in this rigorous educational program. For this reason, individuals with visual, auditory, physical and/or psychosocial impairments severe enough to require an intermediary may find that accommodation is not sufficient to ensure success.
The intent of this document is to guide students in making an informed decision regarding clinical audiology as a career. To complete the AuD curriculum and enter practice as a licensed audiologist, all students must possess abilities and skills in the domains of communication, intellectual-cognitive, motor, sensory-observational and behavioral-social that are consistent with the skill sets of doctoral-level, healthcare providers.
Communication Skills (all in Standard English)
- Students must possess the ability:
- To use speech, hearing and vision to communicate effectively (elicit, convey and clarify information) with patients, patients’ support networks, faculty, staff, peers, other health care professionals and the general public, utilizing oral, written and non-verbal communication modes.
- To understand the written content presented in the educational program and to adequately complete all written assignments in the timeframe specified by faculty.
- To complete all reading assignments in the timeframe specified by faculty and to synthesize accurately and quickly large volumes of information presented in written and electronic formats.
- To understand and utilize non-verbal communication in order to meet curricular and clinical demands.
- To synthesize knowledge and apply the same to patient care through written and oral presentation.
- To modify communication styles to meet the audiences’ communication needs.
- To share, elicit and record information from patients, preceptors, peers and other health professionals verbally and in a recorded format observing and upholding HIPAA and FERPA guidelines.
- To communicate effectively and professionally in person, over the phone and in electronic format.
The demonstration of sufficient skills in written and spoken standard English may be accomplished by passing the Test of Spoken English (TSE), Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit (SPEAK) and The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with scores of 60, 230 and 250, respectively.
Cognitive Abilities
- Students must be able to demonstrate higher-level cognitive abilities, including:
- memory and retention
- rational thought and conceptualization
- measurement and calculation
- visual-spatial comprehension
- organization, analysis and synthesis
- representation (oral, written, diagrammatic, three-dimensional)
- clinical reasoning, ethical reasoning and sound judgment
- Students must possess the ability:
- To learn through a variety of modalities including classroom instruction and group collaborative activities.
- To acquire, comprehend, synthesize, integrate and apply a large body of written and oral information that is sufficient to meet curricular and clinical requirements.
- To think critically, solve complex problems and make sound clinical judgments, all in accordance with the accepted best practices of patient care and in a timely fashion.
- To identify and utilize resources to successfully improve one’s knowledge and skills.
- To comprehend three-dimensional and spatial relationships.
To reflect and evaluate one’s knowledge and abilities regarding academic performance and clinical skills for the purpose of identifying strengths, weaknesses, limitations and areas needing improvement.
Motor / Sensory Skills
- Students must possess sufficient visual, auditory, tactile and motor abilities to allow them to gather information
- from written reference material
- from oral presentations
- by observing demonstration
- by studying medical illustrations in multiple formats
- by observing a patient and his/her environment
- by observing clinical procedures performed by others
- by reading digital or analog representations of physiologic phenomena
- Students must possess the ability:
- To perform actions requiring coordination of gross and fine motor movement and equilibrium.
- To demonstrate the physical stamina to meet the demands of the classroom and clinical activities.
- To monitor, through both visual and auditory modalities, equipment displays and controls (including hearing aids) used for the assessment and treatment of patients.
- To visually perceive and identify text, numbers, tables and graphs presented, including those associated with diagnostic instruments.
- To observe a patient’s activity and behavior during assessment and treatment.
- To interpret patient responses regardless of the mode of response (auditory, visual or mechanical device).
- To minimize inaccuracies in the flow of information by possessing a minimum level of hearing acuity.
- To perform an otoscopic examination of a patient to assess the status of the ear and adjacent area of the head.
- To visually perceive and identify anatomical structures, both normal and abnormal.
- To conduct hearing aid listening checks to assess device functionality.
- To respond quickly in order to provide a safe environment for patients in an emergency situation.
- To access public and non-public transportation to academic and clinical locations.
- To utilize testing, treatment environments and materials in adherence with best practice protocols.
- To manipulate patient-utilized equipment (e.g. wheel chair, oxygen tank, communication devices) in a safe manner.
- To adhere to universal precaution measures and to meet safety standards applicable to the clinical settings and educational activities.
- To access and utilize technology for clinical management of patients to include, but not limited to, scheduling programs, coding and billing programs, therapeutic programs and general use of computer technology in a safe and efficient manner.
Behavioral - Social Skills
- Students must possess the emotional health and management skills (coping mechanisms) or proactively make use of available university resources to:
- prioritize competing demands
- function effectively in stressful circumstances
- tolerate physically taxing workloads
- display flexibility in response to changing circumstances
- demonstrate integrity, respect, compassion, tolerance and acceptance of others in their interactions with patients, peers, faculty and other members of the health care team.
- Students must possess the ability:
- To recognize and show respect for all individuals of different age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds and intellect.
- To refrain from imposing personal, religious, sexual and cultural values on others.
- To establish and maintain appropriate professional relationships.
- To demonstrate the perseverance, diligence and commitment necessary to complete the educational program requirements as directed within the allotted time.
- To critically evaluate her/his performance, be forthright about errors, accept constructive criticism and respond by modification of behavior.
- To acknowledge conflicts of interests, mistakes and adverse outcomes and cooperate in the resolution of the same.
- To demonstrate appropriate behaviors to protect the safety and well-being of others.
- To place professional behavior and duties above one’s own convenience.
- To demonstrate acceptable social skills in professional and social interactions with others.
- To possess and express appropriate compassion, integrity and empathy for others.
An individual with a diagnosed psychiatric disorder may be in the educational program as long as the condition is under sufficient control for adherence to these Behavioral – Social Skills standards.
The AuD degree program at Salus University is designed to prepare students to enter the profession as a generalist with the knowledge, skills and values necessary to perform successfully all the required functions associated with the scope of practice as an entry-level audiologist.
The competing interests and requirements of the clinical components of the educational program may prevent some prospective students from continuing the process of enrolment if they cannot meet these technical standards, with or without reasonable accommodations. Additionally, during the educational program, should a student become unable to maintain these technical standards, with or without reasonable accommodations, the student is subject to dismissal from the program.
In keeping with the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the University’s philosophy, we are committed to making reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities to enable them to meet these technical standards in order to successfully perform the skills necessary to fulfill the requirements of the educational program.
If a student has a disability that they feel may require accommodation to perform any of the tasks identified as essential to the clinical practice of audiology, it is the student's responsibility to inform the Office of Academic Success in the Department of Student Affairs so appropriate steps can be taken to accommodate the student's needs.
Students should carefully review this “Technical Standards” document to determine whether or not they can meet these standards (with or without accommodation).